Okay. I'm finally updating. Fantasia is a new character, a daughter of Hecate. Ava Beaurgard, Michelle, and Alice are all OCs made by sorrow-wing, though she hasn't published any stories about her yet.
~CampHB
Fantasia
"Fantasia!" Lucy jumped onto my bunk. "Chiron called all senior counselors for a war meeting."
"I'm not a senior counselor," I mumbled as I studied my spell book.
"Mary-Lou isn't here yet, so technically you are."
"Whatever."
"Ava's going to be there. She insisted that she needed to go."
"She is?" Ava Beauregard was a friend of mine, a daughter of Aphrodite, and also the sister of Silena Beauregard, who was already dead.
"Uh, yeah."
"Tell her I'll be there soon." I closed the spell book with a loud thud.
Chiron stamped his foot. At the other side of the ping-pong table sat Ava, her bright blue eyes boring into my own. Kide, her wolf, stood by her chair. She motioned her head to Theia Stone, daughter of Nike.
Theia was sitting next to Chiron, her face grim. Near her were two other girls I'd never seen before. The shorter one had dark hair pulled back into a ponytail. Her wide brown eyes were even wider as she stared at Chiron. She looked Asian.
The other girl had a deep scowl impressed onto her face. She had brown hair that was let loose. The tallest girl of the group, stretched her long legs. Her eyes were unusual—pure black with specks of color in her irises. A large Rottweiler lay down by her side, growling softly.
Do you know who they are? I silently asked Ava with a look.
No. Not yet, but I know a little about their personalities, though, Ava silently answered. I read their auras. The Chinese girl, Sophia Shui, is pretty fragile. She's smart and brainy, but a real weakling. She's scared easily.
What about the other girl? The tall one with the dog?
Her name's Reagan Grant. Her emotions are all mixed, mostly full of hatred, disgust, and anger. She's got a strong aura, stronger than any other demigod I've ever seen. She could be really powerful.
Anything else?
Yeah…I sense some kind of connection between her and Luke. I think…I can't exactly tell…
So she could be one of us.
Possibly.
"So," Chiron started, "it seems that we have some new campers. What are your names?"
Sophie's eyes instantly bulged when she saw who Chiron was. He wasn't in his typical wheelchair today. He was also in full battle armor, his bow slung behind his back, sleek white stallion body fully visible.
"You're-you're…" Sophie stammered.
"Yes, dear. I'm a centaur."
I rolled my eyes. Honestly, what else did you think he was? A satyr?
"But…I thought…but…it doesn't…why…who…" Her eyes grew even wider.
"Sophie, calm," Theia said, putting an arm on her shoulder. "Calm. Think of something else."
She looked like she was going to freak, but eventually her breathing returned to normal.
Total weakling, I thought.
Pathetic, Ava scoffed.
Chiron seemed to notice why she was so worked up. "Ah, I am terribly sorry. It seems that today I forgot my wheelchair...anyway, what are your names?"
"Sophie Shui," Sophie managed to squeak out. Her voice was more high-pitched than usual.
"Reagan Grant," Reagan said. She glared at Mr. D. At her name, Chiron's head snapped up.
"Reagan?" he asked. "As in Reagan Grant, daughter of Eve Grant?"
"Yeah," she said slowly. "What do you want?"
"Oh. Oh, nothing." Chiron blinked.
Ava narrowed her eyes. Chiron never acted this way before. There must be something about this girl…
Mr. D hadn't looked up from his magazine, and showed no sign of what had happened earlier. Reagan's body was as relaxed as a board of plywood, but she didn't say anything.
"Besides welcoming our new campers, we have more to discuss," Chiron continued. "Leo?"
Leo cleared his throat. "The Argo II is halfway done. We just need a couple more months, and we can set out."
Murmurs broke out in the counselors.
Jason stood up. "I can't exactly remember where the Roman camp is, but I know it's somewhere in California. That's all that I can work out."
"It's okay, Jason." Piper put a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "You've tried."
Not hard enough.
"Until these two are claimed," Chiron gestured to Sophie and Reagan, "we'll have to put them in the Big House. Council dismissed!"
The sound of chairs scraping against the wooden floor filled the room. I saw Reagan shoot Mr. D a quick glare and he looked back at her. Tension filled their gaze, and if you used your imagination, you could imagine lightning crackling between the two. Then Reagan turned on her heel and stalked out of the room.
After Archery practice, I decided to stop by the Aphrodite cabin to see how Ava was doing. While the other Aphrodite kids were swimming, she was sitting on her bunk, reading another spell book my mom had given her. Alice and Michelle accompanied her, Alice on the top, and Michelle playing with her iPad on the floor. Kide sat up and licked my hand when she saw it was me.
"Hey," Ava greeted when she looked up.
"Hi." I sat down on her bed. "So what do you think about the new girl?"
"Which one? The small girl?" Alice frowned slightly when she mentioned Sophie.
"No. The other one, Reagan."
"She seems pretty…I'm not exactly sure how to describe it…" Alice dangled her hand. "Give me some words here…"
"Hateful?" Michelle suggested.
"Not exactly…"
"Uh, angry?" I asked.
"No…"
"How about paranoid?" Ava tried. "Distrustful?"
"Yeah. That's it. She's kinda like us, if you actually think about it."
Alice was right. Reagan did seem paranoid somehow. Especially by the look she'd given Mr. D., you could see that she really did not think highly of him.
"Do you think she would become friends with us? I mean, we all have a lot in common, and she does, too," I said.
"Well, we first have to find out what she hates and why she hates it so much," said Michelle. "Then we can go from there."
"Ava, you got anything…?" Alice questioned.
"Yeah…spell book page 309…ah. Here it is." Ava flipped open to a page that was titled Back in Time: The Spell to Unlock a Person's Past and Its Secrets. "Okay. We need a mirror and…oh. That's it. Here we go: First, find the specific person that you want to know about. Next, imagine the person's face." Ava closed her eyes and concentrated, her eyebrows furrowing. "Then image drawing on their soul and…" She murmured inaudible words in Ancient Greek. Suddenly shimmering silver letters formed out of mist starting to pour from the mirror Ava was holding. "…show us Reagan's past!"
A blinding white light crackled and the mirror began to glow. Ava smiled weakly as the magic drained some of her energy.
"You're really on your way to become a sorceress, Beauregard," Michelle commented. "Nice work."
"Thanks," she whispered.
The mirror emitted an odd sound and a scene took over. It was a house, and standing in front of it was a boy with blond hair and a scar.
"Luke!" Ava gasped.
The door opened and Luke went inside.
"Luke! What a surprise!" The woman that opened the door ushered him in. "Why are you here?"
"I need to see Reagan," he said, eyes wild. "It's urgent."
"What? Luke, what's wrong?"
"Please. I really need to see her, Aunt Eve. It's important."
"If you insist…REAGAN!"
"She's his cousin," I murmured. "That's why she shares such a strong connection with him. They're related, flesh and blood."
Reagan bounded down the stairs. "What!" She looked younger somehow, more carefree, different from now. "Luke! You're here! I thought—"
"Look, there's no time," he said breathlessly. "I need to talk to you—alone."
"Luke," Reagan's mom began.
"Aunt Eve, I'm sorry. By the way, you don't happen to know who Reagan's dad is, do you?"
"No." She looked puzzled. "But he was a very nice man. Handsome, I know."
"Good, good. The less you know, the better."
Eve left the room with the laundry tucked under her arm.
"Look, Reagan." Luke squatted down so that his face was directly in from of Reagan. "You know those stories I told you? The ones about a guy named Percy Jackson and all the Greek gods coming back to life?"
"Yeah…what does that have to do with anything?" She looked confused.
"Do you remember the sword fighting I taught you?"
"Uh, yeah."
"And do you remember how I talked about Kronos and how he was going to reform?"
"Yes, but why?"
"Reagan…" Luke looked away and I saw a tear run down his cheek. "This'll be the last time I ever see you again."
"Why? Luke, you can't leave me."
"The stories…they're all true. I'm the body that Kronos is going to use. He's going to use me as a stepping stone."
She stumbled back, shocked. "But...but that's not possible."
"I also know your father," he continued. "I finally figured it out. Here…" He whispered something we couldn't hear in her ear.
"No…no. This can't be happening. You mean…I'm a demigod?" Reagan asked.
"Yes."
"But…it's not real. You said it wasn't."
"Reagan, listen." He took her shoulders firmly. "When you turn twelve, things are going to be very difficult. There will be monsters attacking. The only reason they haven't attacked is because I've been keeping them from your blood. But when you turn twelve next year, there's nothing I can do. By then Kronos will be battling Olympus. Most of the monsters will be fighting, but after the second Titan War, I don't know what will happen next. Keep yourself safe, Reagan. Trust me." More tears slipped down his cheeks. "I don't want to lose you, even after I die."
"I…" Reagan was frozen.
"Here. There's something else I want to give you." Luke dug out something from his pocket. It was his old camp necklace. On it was five clay beads and a dog tag. He ripped the dog tag with his initials on it and flipped it in the air. It changed into a double-edged sword.
"This is Backbiter," he told her. "I want you to have it along with my old necklace. It's from camp. Whatever you do, do not ever go to Camp Half-Blood. Do you understand me? Do you understand me?" He shook her by the shoulders.
"Y-yes," she managed. "I promise."
Luke held her out at arms' length before enfolding her in a hug. Salty drops fell from his eyes as he gripped her closer. I saw some teardrops forming on Reagan's eyes.
"W-will I ever see you again?" she asked.
"No, though I wish," he answered. "Stay strong. Do not trust the gods. They can't be believed. They're liars." Luke broke from the embrace. "I love you, Reagan. You're the only family I have left. I love you."
He gently kissed her forehead before moving swiftly to the door and left the house. The door closed softly behind him.
"I-I love you too, Luke," Reagan said after a long silence. "I love you."
Her hand gripped the dog tag and necklace until her knuckles turned white…
The scene changed. It was still the same house, but Reagan was standing by the door, eavesdropping on a room. The door was closed and loud voices sounded from inside.
"Mrs. Grant, you have to understand that we need Reagan." The voice was familiar…Poseidon's voice.
"No! Unless you tell me what you need her for, I won't let her go. I'm her mother. I'm trying to protect her." Mrs. Grant sounded angry.
"Mrs. Grant—"
"Bah! Don't try to talk with her politically, Poseidon. She won't listen," a gruff voice growled.
"Peace, Hades."
"No, brother. Hades is right. We must act. This girl, she could be our fate. This is important, and important events include rash actions."
"Zeus—"
"Quiet, Poseidon. Where is the girl, Mrs. Grant?" Zeus asked.
Reagan stiffened and began to creep away from the door. She stopped when she heard her mother cry out in pain.
"I won't tell you!" her mother yelled. "REAGAN, RUN! DON'T STOP! RUN! RUN AWAY FROM HERE!" Another wail of agony sounded.
"No!" Reagan barged into the living room. "Let her go!"
Mrs. Grant was suspended in midair, clutching at her throat, clawing for air. She fell to the floor.
"So, you are the one to fell Olympus, aren't you?" Hades smirked and circled around her.
Reagan drew Backbiter and flashed it. The moment Zeus saw it, his stormy gray eyes flashed with anger. "Looks familiar, doesn't it?" Reagan taunted. "Let my mom go."
"If you come with us," Poseidon said.
"No thanks."
Mrs. Grant started choking again, and Reagan lowered her sword, suddenly unsure.
"Come with us, and the mortal lives. Or else your mother dies."
Reagan closed her eyes in thought, panic clear on her face. What would she do now?
"Bah! I'm tired of waiting! My patience is wearing out!" Hades aimed black energy at her, and it blasted a hole in the wall. She ducked and swung her sword.
Poseidon waved his trident and water erupted from the ground. Zeus' master bolt appeared. Hades' helm appeared on top on his head. With all this power in one room, the whole house exploded. They were now standing in the ruins of what used to be Reagan's home.
Her eyes flared. The flecks of color in her eyes brightened. She watched the gods' motions carefully.
One…I heard her think. Two…three!
The gods attacked, all aiming energy at her. She jumped up, barely ducking by the balls of fire.
The gods aimed the energy again, this time power radiating from all three mystical weapons. There was no way Reagan was going to survive it. The shot was released. It was inches away from her when somebody else threw herself in front of Reagan. The energy hit her, burning her away slowly. A loud scream pierced the air.
I gasped in horror.
It was Mrs. Eve Grant, Reagan's mom. She threw herself in front of her daughter. Mrs. Grant disintegrated to more than a pile of ashes, immediately scattered in the wind.
Shock crossed Reagan's face, then anger and pure hatred.
She opened her mouth. "Mother Earth!" she cried. "Do you now witness this horrible and bloody murder of an innocent mortal, killed by the children of your children? Avenge this terrible wrong and take revenge on the murderers!"
The ground rumbled in agreement. But when the dust cleared, there was no sign of the Big Three…
The mist started to recede from the mirror. I blinked.
"That was…interesting," Ava commented. "No wonder…"
"Wow. I can't believe that the gods really did that," I said.
Michelle shrugged. "They're gods. What do you expect?"
I shook my head and headed back to my cabin.
Oh my gods. I LOVED writing that chapter! Thanks, sorrow-wing, for letting me use your characters! You really helped!
~CampHB